1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to processing of electronic messages over computer networks and, more particularly, to automatic routing of such messages over such networks.
2. Description of the Related Art
Message handling is an important function that must be carefully and efficiently performed. For example, a health care delivery system such as a hospital or medical center will receive messages of many different types. It is critical for the health of patients that messages are delivered to appropriate medical staff, with no loss of information. Currently, a hospital network is likely to include different message handling resources for the different types of messages the hospital might receive. For example, a telephone message handling system might attend to telephone messages received by the hospital. An email system might be in place to handle electronic messaging, utilizing email software to ensure message delivery. Finally, a database system with data network might provide for data distribution, storage, and access among the different offices or laboratories of the hospital.
Although the important message formats can be handled by the combination of message handling resources, the multiplicity of systems for handling the message types leads to inefficient operation and increased possibility of errors.
Modern hospitals are likely to encounter a great variety of message formats. In addition to telephone messages, email messages, and conventional database documents, a hospital is likely to receive messages according to the well-known HL7 format. The HL7 format is a specification for messages that are likely to find greatest application in the hospital setting, and specifies medical task codes and the like for medical procedures. Another data format in widespread use is the DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) format. The DICOM format is mandated in many medical systems, and is used to specify data formats used in medical procedures with imagery, with special attention to patient identification and other data fields important to health care insurance providers. The DICOM format specifies a header (with patient data and image information) as well as the image data. Thus, a DICOM file is an example of a compound file format having text data and image information. In addition to compound file format files such as DICOM, the database might include image information in a variety of single-type data formats, such as JPEG data, bitmap data, TIFF images, and the like.
It would be advantageous if a single message handling system could support messaging in a variety of message formats, with efficient message handling to ensure message arrival at appropriate destinations.
From the discussion above, it should be apparent that there is a need for a system that can provide versatile, reliable message handling for network messages. The present invention fulfills this need. Other problems with the prior art not described above can also be overcome using the teachings of the present invention, as would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after reading this disclosure.